Remembering

I remember. I remember a friend from days gone by who served over seas as a MP with the UN on a "peacekeeping" mission. The term peacekeeping should be used ever so lightly as usually these missions are filled with fire and fear and death and destruction. Anyway, I remember his memories, his stories, reading his letters from that time and the things he went through but hadn't spoken about since returning home years previously. I remember the sadness this brought to my heart. And on days like this I remember this long lost friend and wish him well....hoping the demons from those days overseas are gone, buried, and resting.

I remember another friend who served our country for years, went to Vietnam twice and on countless other missions. I remember his stories and memories that he has freely shared with me. I am grateful to him for his lessons & ability to share.

I remember growing up near one of our large military bases and being extremely negative and rude in regards to the personnel that lived on that base. We called them hurtful nicknames behind their backs, "worms". I remember being slightly afraid of the soldiers and being utterly ignorant to what they were training for and why they were enlisted. I remember this with shame.

I remember attending Remembrance Day services at the Jubilee with a friend and having tears in my eyes throughout the whole service and in recent years having the same response to the service in my small home town, close to that base I belittled as a kid, the same small town that now has young men enlisted, the same small town that as a teen I played in the band during Remembrance Day services but at that time only thought about how great it was to have a day off school.

Today I remember all of this and hope to someday pass on the deserved respect for this day and all it's people to my sons.

What do you remember?